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Shelly's Diary Entries Diary Navigation: Choose A Diary Entry -------------------- Latest Entry: 7/1/00 -------------------- 6/30/00 6/28/00 6/27/00 6/26/00 6/25/00 6/24/00 6/23/00 6/22/00 6/21/00 -------------------- Shelly's Introduction

June 23, 2000

We're one day closer to our big trip. I think I'm more excited than the kids are. And why not? We get to stay in a hotel for three days and three nights. No cooking, no cleaning. It's a dream come true for a harried stay-at-home mom. The best part? We don't have to stress over money because grandma and grandpa are taking care of all the major expenses. I feel blessed.

We'll be flying from Portland, Ore., to Los Angeles, Calif., on Sunday. We're going to meet up with the rest of the family at the airport, then drive together to the Disneyland Hotel, where we will be spending the next few days. The in-laws sent us a postcard a couple of weeks ago with a picture of the hotel's pool on it. It's got a water slide and a pirate ship playground, and it's huge. I'm planning to take advantage of the fact that grandma and grandpa miss their grandsons so much, and spend some quality time alone luxuriating in front of that pool. Aahhh...

We won't be spending our entire vacation at Disneyland, or even in Southern California. On Wednesday, we drive back to LAX and fly to Reno with the in-laws. From there, we'll drive to Truckee, Calif., located in the Sierra Nevada mountain range, about 45 miles west of Reno. We lived in Truckee five years ago, until our oldest was almost 2. The area's rich in history and scenic beauty. I always love visiting, although I don't miss living there. In the winter, snow is a wonderful thing if you're a visiting skier. It loses its appeal when you have to shovel the driveway every day just to get your car on the road. But that's another story for another day.

On Saturday, July 1, we'll fly back to Portland from Reno. Then Jim (dh) will have one day off to recuperate before having to return to work.

We put another sticker on each of the boys' calendars. One more day until we reach the red circle -- the day we leave for Disneyland. I know I promised a packing list for today, but I decided not to pack until tomorrow. I've got most of the clothes laid out. I need to put them in suitcases and decide what else we need and what we can live without, since we're traveling by plane rather than by car.

I'll have all that worked out tomorrow, so I'll let you know then what I've decided. See you then!